On a recent trip, we broke up our travel from France to Málaga with a two day stop-over in Tarragona, Spain. I was particularly interested in this city because it has sites dating back over 2,000 years and was once the Roman capital of the region. We never pass up the chance to visit Roman ruins or an ancient city. If that is something that interests you too, go to our post on ReviewTrip — Spain's Roman Heritage: Our Journey Through Ancient Hispania — where we highlight sites we've visited and share our own map of all the sites in Spain.
Tarragona sits on the north eastern coast, about half an hour south of Barcelona on the high speed train, or an hour on the local cercanÃas. The high speed train actually drops passengers in Campo de Tarragona and then a 20 minute taxi ride will put you in Tarragona proper. I decided to take the cercanÃas because it would deposit us directly in the city and should have been a quick 5-7 minute cab trip to the AC Hotel Tarragona by Marriott that I booked for the two nights.
We arrived on Sunday afternoon, around 3 PM, and found no taxis at the taxi stand and no cars in sight. We decided to walk the 20 or so minutes to the hotel instead of waiting around for a taxi to appear. Every shop sign and street marker we passed was in Catalan, our first real sign we'd crossed into a different corner of Spain. The walk started out flat enough but Tarragona is positioned high above the sea, so that flat terrain soon led to uphill slogs with our bags. It was mid-August, still exceptionally hot in Spain, but luckily for us it wasn't blistering hot so we managed well enough.
We made it to the hotel five minutes before the bar and restaurant closed, and were not lucky enough to get anyone's attention for a drink and quick snack. Our room was a nice size with a king size bed, mini fridge and large window with a view of Parc de la Ciutat and the sea beyond. Having not eaten all day we did not stay to enjoy it -- food was the first thing on our agenda. Our legs were still tired so we had the front desk call a taxi to drive us to something that might be open for a light meal. They did warn us most places would be closed from 4pm - 8pm. We were dropped off, seemingly in a random place, and the taxi driver pointed toward a Burger King and drove away. Even after living in Spain nearly three years, we apparently were categorized as stereotypical Americans. Instead of settling for fast food, we walked a little further back and found a few small restaurants on Carrer Méndez Núñez. The menus of the three places that were open appeared identical. We even joked they probably had one kitchen in the back and three names over the doors just to get more business. I had a small tapa of fried calamari and Mauricio ordered a personal size pizza. They fulfilled the purpose of getting something in our bellies and a little energy to explore more.
While we finished our beers I checked the map and found Circus Tarraco Restaurante showing they were currently open. The thing that really stood out immediately was a review that commented on how delicious the picanha was. Well, we have never been able to pass up a picanha, or the need to find an authentic one outside Brazil, so we decided to walk the 10 or so minutes and see for ourselves. Besides, the choices were few at 5PM. On the way we passed the Fòrum Local. You would have a task laid out in front of you if you tried to walk two blocks in Tarragona without seeing a Roman archaeological site. This site has some impressive Roman columns currently standing, the remains of government buildings including a forum for civic meetings, basilica and temple Aedes Augusti. Because it was Sunday afternoon, the site was closed to visitors but it was still possible to see the landmarks and columns from the outside.
The Fòrum Local, a short walk from the restaurant
Just across the street on Carrer de Lleida, we found the restaurant. On the street level, there is a standing bar. Down a short flight of steps there are a few tables, and further inside is a small dining area with a bar and five or six more. There is also more seating upstairs. The first thing Mauricio did was start speaking Portuguese to the man behind the bar and was happy when the man answered back with Brazilian Portuguese. We were absolutely thrilled with this turn of events, and after ordering our drinks took a quick look at the menu.
The bar at Circus Tarraco, just inside the door
The menu has three options for picanha, a plate with rice, vinagreta and farofa, or a tapa with or without yuca. If you don't know, vinagreta is finely chopped onions, tomatoes and green peppers with a little salt --similar to pico de gallo but instead of lime juice it contains vinegar. This serves as a nice companion to the rich fats in a typical Brazilian churrascaria (grill) and is traditionally served alongside the meat. Farofa is toasted manioc flour that can come on its own or with garlic, onions, eggs, and bacon or sausage. The restaurant's version was simply the toasted flour which has a texture similar to bread crumbs. Instead of serving bread, farofa is a common accompaniment to most traditional Brazilian dishes and we dip our meat in it. It also soaks up the juices from the meat which means nothing is lost. We only wanted the picanha with farofa so we decided on the tapa without yuca, which in Brazil is cut into strips and deep fried. It is almost as common as potato fries on platters and dishes.
The fat cap, seared and sliced
Instead of our usual disappointment, we were more than happy when the plate arrived. The meat was a generous portion of about 500 grams, or 18 ounces, seared to medium rare, sliced into strips with the fat-cap left on and sprinkled with coarse salt. This was true picanha — one of the best steaks you'll find in Tarragona — the kind that took us back to our first bite of the real thing at Garota da Urca in Rio de Janeiro, the meal that started this whole obsession. The flavor was a little smokey and the texture was a perfect cut-with-a-fork tender. After just that appetizer (having eaten the calamari earlier) I was satisfied. For Mauricio though this is home cooking so he could not resist ordering a portion of calabresa. After two plates, and having stuck the landing on both, we knew we could not leave Tarragona without trying the feijoada, so we promised to come back the next day for lunch.
Monday was our only full day in Tarragona and we had to fit in as much sightseeing as we could. We started out from the hotel and walked down to the Tarragona marina. Barcelona's Port Vell is known to house super yachts, so we were surprised when we arrived at Marina Port TÃ rraco and found several docked there as well. We spent a good hour walking and marveling at the yachts, some of which were several stories high. Thankfully there were no cruise ships docked while we were there so we had the marina almost exclusively to ourselves.
Three of the superyachts docked at Marina Port TÃ rraco that afternoon
From there we walked the coastline northeast and started making the long climb up to the famous and picturesque Roman Amphitheatre. From that vantage point, you have one of the most unique views of a Roman site perched above the Mediterranean Sea. Just a short walk inland brings you to the 1st century Roman Circus Tarragona (Circ Romà ) on the southern end of Rambla Vella where it connects with Via Augusta. Rambla Vella is the main path to get to the Old Town containing a treasure trove of ancient sites within its walls that date back to the 2nd century BC. Within the walls the tight streets keep you in shade most of the day. At times you have to flatten yourselves against a wall for vehicles to pass because the streets are so narrow. It takes some getting used to but after living near an ancient city for almost three years and traveling in Europe for almost three decades, I have grown accustomed to it. As I mentioned the city still has steep hills to climb, and doing so for hours on end can take a toll on anyone.
The Roman Amphitheatre, perched above the sea
After over three hours walking and exploring Tarragona, we decided to head back to Circus Tarraco and try out that feijoada. Of course, we had another serving of the picanha as well. Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil — a black bean stew built on onion, garlic, and various cuts of pork. Some versions include beef, but the ones I've had, and the one I make, are pork only. The traditional method is to let it simmer all day, and we confirmed with the cook on Sunday that's exactly how theirs is made. When I make it I use contemporary cuts of pork like bacon, pancetta and sausage, but in the most traditional stews feet, ears and tail are also used. Thankfully, our serving skipped those particular cuts.
Once again, the food was delicious and satisfied our Brazilian tastes without letting us down. The stew was rich with just enough thickness served alongside vinagreta, farofa and torresmo --a type of deep fried pork crackling. I was taught to serve my feijoada with orange slices and the restaurant serves it that way too. The orange is a surprising and refreshing addition that cleanses the palate and also serves to cut the richness of the dish. Instead of saving this to the end, orange slices should be eaten throughout the meal, 1/3 - 1/2 way through and then again before and at the end. They have a way of keeping the mouth savoring and separating all the flavors of the stew versus them starting to lose potency halfway through.
The second round of picanha
Feijoada, served with vinagreta, farofa, and orange slices
After a meal of feijoada, it is natural and justified to need a nap. All the hours of walking also pointed us back to the hotel for some relaxation. My takeaways from our day in Tarragona are: don't expect the restaurants to be open mid-day and if you arrive by train outside of Campo de Tarragona, be prepared to walk. Expect to see lots of history in one of the most well preserved Roman sites in Spain. However, if your only days there are Sunday and Monday you will probably miss out on entering the sites and museums as most are closed those days. Bring good walking shoes. Finally, there are many reasons to visit Circus Tarraco Restaurante. They are open daily 9am to 1am per their site. They have lovely staff and the Brazilian food is authentic. Most importantly, besides the ones I make at home, this is the most true Brazilian picanha we've had outside Brazil or a fancy Brazilian steakhouse.
You cannot go wrong visiting Tarragona and you can only go right eating at Circus Tarraco Restaurante - Bom apetite!
Back to the Spain overview — or read about Barón de Cútar in Torre del Mar